Outdoor artworks illuminate London in Lumiere Festival

People take photos of the artwork light display entitled Waterlicht by Daan Roosegaarde at Granary Square in London, during the Lumiere London light festival, Wednesday Jan. 17, 2018. The Lumiere London light festival was commissioned by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. (Kirsty O'Connor/PA via AP)

People walk through The Wave by Vertigo on the Riverside Walkway, South Bank, during the Lumiere London light festival, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)

A person looks at light artwork entitled Supercube by Stephane Masson on display in St James's Market area of London, during the Lumiere London light festival, Wednesday Jan. 17, 2018. The Lumiere London light festival was commissioned by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, and produced by Artichoke. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)

Westminster Abbey in London, is illuminated by a projection entitled The Light of the Spirit by Patrice Warrener, during the Lumiere London light festival, in London Wednesday Jan. 17, 2018. The Lumiere London light festival was commissioned by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, and produced by Artichoke. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)

The Reflektor artwork by Studio Roso is displayed in Carlton Street, central London, during the Lumiere London light festival, Wednesday Jan. 17, 2018. The Lumiere London light festival was commissioned by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, and produced by Artichoke. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)

LONDON — The dark January streets of London are being transformed into an illuminated outdoor gallery as part of the Lumiere arts festival .

The festival, which runs for four nights starting Thursday, features more than 50 light-based artworks across the city. Some sit in alleyways or parks, while others light up buildings including Westminster Abbey and the National Theatre.

Organizers say more than 1 million people attended the free festival when it was first held in the city two years ago, enjoying the rare chance to stroll usually traffic-clogged streets closed to traffic.

"We take London, a massive world city — such a machine in terms of getting people in and out and shopping and so on — and for a brief moment we stop that," said Helen Marriage, director of arts charity Artichoke, which organizes Lumiere.

The works, by artists from around the world, are alternately eerie, surprising and playful. In a West End courtyard, French artist Stephane Masson's "Supercube" resembles a vending-machine full of mason jars, displaying a cornucopia of moving images.

Jo Pocock and the team Lantern Company have filled Leicester Square with giant plants, animals and butterflies, in a surreal scene with echoes of "Alice in Wonderland."